


No More Excuses

by hybridempress



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Fourth of July, Gen, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 16:57:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybridempress/pseuds/hybridempress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred really really REALLY wants Arthur to come to his birthday party this year, but he knows that Arthur is bound to say no to the invitation. Alfred goes to ask Arthur to come to his party in person, and their conversation turns into a fight that ends up helping them patch up some 200-year-old loose ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No More Excuses

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for this really dumb and cheesy fanfic omg I wrote it last year but I deleted the deviantART account that I had published it on and a few people were asking me to re-upload it so here we are. Not my best work but it will suffice for a Fourth of July special. Hope you guys enjoy it <3

    "Thanks for helping me out with this party, bro," Alfred said gratefully as he pinned one end of a bunch of red, white and blue streamers to the top corner of his living room while his little brother, Matthew, did the same with the other end at another corner.   
  
    "Hey, it's the least I can do after you got everyone together and threw that huge surprise party for me the other day. Besides, decorating for parties is fun, and what better way to spend time with my brother, right?" Matthew reasoned, smiling softly as he stepped down from the stepladder he had been using to reach up to the top corner.  
  
    "Totally!" Alfred exclaimed, jumping down from the chair that he had been using.   
  
    "So... Who all is coming, again?" Matthew inquired, picking up one end of the next bunch of streamers and moving the stepladder to the next corner. Alfred did the same with his chair.  
  
    "Oh, ya know, the usual gang. Prussia, Denmark, Italy, Japan, France, Lithuania, Germany..." He continued to list countries who were coming to his party. It seemed that he had invited everyone. However, through all the names, there was one that Matthew was sure he had not heard. That name was England.  
  
    "What about Arthur...?" Matthew asked quietly. When he saw how Alfred's face fell at the mention of his former caretaker's name, he immediately wished he could take it back. He should have known better than to ask whether Arthur was coming or not. Arthur  _never_  came to Alfred's birthday parties. Why should this time be any different?   
  
    "Oh... Uh... I haven't heard anything from him yet," Alfred stated indifferently, shrugging nonchalantly, like he didn't care at all. However, Matthew could tell from the sad look in his brother's baby blue eyes that he was extremely upset. Again.   
  
    "I'm sorry, Alfie..." Matthew whispered.  
  
    "Psh, what's there to be sorry for? H-he probably just hasn't gotten the invitation yet! I sent it through snail mail instead of email. Guess it got lost, huh? I'll just ask him in person today!" Alfred declared, forcing a smile and laughing loudly, though Matthew could tell that the laugh was also forced.   
  
    "Alfred, I don't think that's a good idea," Matthew argued, his violet eyes gleaming with concern.  
  
    "Why not? He's in America this week. So obviously, he was expecting me to invite him to my party, because he  _knows_  I have one every year, and he totally wants to come!" Alfred exclaimed determinedly.  
  
    "I... Well... Th-that makes sense, Alfred, but I'm not sure that's the reason he's here..." Matthew dismissed.  
  
    "What other reason would he have, bro?" Alfred asked, eager to prove his brother wrong.   
  
    So what if Arthur had bailed on his birthday parties every other year? So what if Arthur treated Alfred like he was the most annoying person on the face of the planet? So what if Matthew was probably right...? It couldn't hurt to try... Right...?  
  
    "I-I dunno, Alfie, but-" Matthew began, but Alfred stopped him with a heavy sigh.  
  
    "Look, Matt, I know you're trying to keep me happy. I know you don't want me to get my hopes up and then have England let me down. Again. But what kind of man would I be if I was afraid to try? Who knows? Maybe this'll be the one time he finally says yes," he mused solemnly.   
  
    "I... Alright, Alfie... I wish you the best of luck, then," Matthew said, smiling faintly.  
  
    Alfred smiled back at him. "Thanks, bro."  
  
    "No problem."  
  
    After Matthew and Alfred had finished decorating the house for the party, Matthew was actually eager to push Alfred out of the house and make him look for Arthur so that he could bake the cake. Matthew took Alfred's bomber jacket off of the coat rack by the front door, threw it at his brother, and began shoving the older man out the door. Both of them were laughing and smiling.  
  
    "Alright, alright, I'm going, man, jeez! You can be real pushy when ya wanna be, ya know!" Alfred remarked, smirking.  
  
    "Yeah, yeah, I know, but I wanna make your cake! And you need to hurry up and find Arthur! The party starts in a few hours, remember?" Matthew asked, also smirking.  
  
    "Pfft, how could I forget about my own birthday party, bro? Don't worry 'bout it! I'll find England, give you plenty of time to bake the cake, and also be back with plenty of time before the party! It's gonna be awesome!" Alfred promised, opening the door and stepping outside.  
  
    "I can't wait!" Matthew exclaimed.  
  
    "Alright, well, see you later bro. I'm expecting a mondo awesome cake when I get back!" Alfred chirped.   
  
    "I'll do my best," Matthew promised. "See you later, Alfie!" And with that, the Canadian shut the door, and Alfred bounded down the front porch steps and down the street.   
  
    However, as he made it to the entrance to the neighborhood, he suddenly realised that he had no idea where he was going. He didn't know where Arthur was. True, he knew where Arthur was staying while he was in America, but who knew if he'd be there now? He couldn't call Arthur and find out. He wanted his visit to be a surprise. So how could he find out where Arthur was without going on a wild goose chase?  
  
    Alfred began walking down the sidewalk after he exited his neighborhood. He walked as he thought for a few minutes until finally, an idea came to him. He remembered that on April Fools' Day this year, he had installed an app on Arthur's phone that would allow him to track the Brit wherever he went. That way, he could follow Arthur around and pull pranks on him all day long. Arthur never found out how Alfred was doing it, and Alfred never told him. Chances were that Arthur had never uninstalled the app, so chances were that Alfred would be able to use it to find out where Arthur was now.  
  
    Alfred quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and woke it up. He unlocked it and pressed the app that allowed him to track Arthur's phone. To his delight, he found that he was still able to see where Arthur's phone was. According to the app, Arthur was in a park that wasn't too far from where Alfred lived. Alfred smiled broadly before pocketing his phone and taking off at a run towards the park.  
  
    It took him about twenty-five minutes to run to the park. He hadn't even broken a sweat by the time he had arrived. This wasn't unusual. He was a rather strong man, not to mention that he took a longer run than that almost everyday.   
  
    Once he had made it to the park, he began jogging around, looking for Arthur. It wouldn't be hard to spot the Brit. A mop of shaggy blond hair, a pair of forest green eyes that sparkled like emeralds, and eyebrows so bushy that most people teased him and called them caterpillars. Not to mention that his yelling could be heard from a mile away.   
  
    Alfred searched around the park for another fifteen minutes before he found Arthur sitting on the edge of the stone angel fountain in the middle of the park. He was alone. There was no one with him and no one around him. He was reading a book. Nothing new. Even the book was something that Alfred had seen him read a thousand times. Alfred smiled excitedly when he saw the older nation. He jogged up close to the fountain, but still kept far enough away so that Arthur couldn't see him just yet.   
  
    "Yo, England!" he shouted.  
  
    Arthur jumped slightly, standing up and turning around to look at Alfred. His face had previously been pale and his eyes had been widened in fear, but when he saw Alfred, his expression softened, though his lips curled into an annoyed frown.  
  
    "For God's sake, America! You can't just sneak up and shout at people like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" he shouted, putting a hand over his chest where his heart was for emphasis.   
  
    Alfred shrugged. "Sorry, dude. I just wanted to ask you a question," he muttered, rocking back and forth on his heels, which was something he only did when he was nervous.  
  
    Arthur raised an eyebrow, watching the younger nation rock. "Oh? What is it?" he inquired, though the tone in his voice clearly showed that he could care less.   
  
    Alfred cleared his throat. His eyes looked everywhere but Arthur's face. "W-well... I wanted to know if... U-um..." he stuttered.  
  
    "Yes?" Arthur urged, waving his hand in a motion that told Alfred to spit it out.   
  
    "I-I just wanted to know if you were coming to my party tonight or what, dude? I-I mean I even made sure to buy some tea... Just for you, man..." Alfred blurted out, a hopeful and somewhat cheerful tone in his voice. However, as soon as he asked the question, he knew by the conflicted look in Arthur's eyes what the answer would be.  
  
    "Sorry, America, but I've got other plans tonight. I don't think I'll be able to make it," Arthur replied sourly before turning his back to Alfred.   
  
    Alfred wasn't surprised. At all. Even with having his hopes up, he still expected this outcome. Arthur always said that. Always. Alfred had gotten used to Arthur turning down his invitations by now. Usually, he didn't let it get him down. His parties were always amazing. Why should he care whether or not Arthur was there? After all, Arthur was the world's biggest party-pooper. Alfred shouldn't even want him there. But he did. And while usually he wouldn't let Arthur's rejection upset him, this time, it did.  
  
    "You know," he began, an extremely bitter tone in his voice, which took Arthur by surprise seeing as though he only ever heard the American with a joyful voice, "that's been your excuse for the past two centuries. You'd think that after two-hundred and thirty-nine years, you'd remember not to make plans on my birthday, especially considering all that you and I went through so that I could even have a birthday."  
  
    At this statement, Arthur spun on his heels and faced Alfred again. He was angry. Furious, even. His eyes flashed with sadness, pain, and still more confliction.  
  
    "Did you ever think for a second that maybe everything that happened between us is  _exactly_  the reason I never want to go to your stupid parties?" he spat.   
  
    Alfred stared at him, his eyes widening slightly in sudden realization. Alfred had always thought that the day of his Independence was something that everyone should be able to celebrate. Never once had it occurred to him that Arthur would find more reason to mourn than to celebrate. After all, Arthur should've been happy to get rid of Alfred... Right...?  
  
    "You don't know what it's like! To wake up and find out that you've been betrayed by your own family! To be stabbed in the back by someone you love more than anything in the world! I loved you, I cared for you, I raised you, I taught you, and for all my hard work, for all my effort, for all my affection, what am I repaid with!? A revolution! A brutal, bloody war, in which countless men died! And you wonder why I never want to go to your horrid parties," Arthur yelled, though the last sentence was barely more than a whisper. Rage and betrayal was written all over his face.  
  
    Alfred couldn't believe that Arthur thought it was Alfred's fault for everything that happened. Did Arthur never see how badly Alfred had been hurting all those years ago? Did Arthur believe that he himself had done nothing wrong?  
  
    "Yeah!? Well  _you_  don't know what it's like to feel like a prisoner in your own home! To watch your people suffer at the hands of someone you used to love and admire more than anyone in the world! I was sick of your strict and unfair rules! Hell, my people didn't even have a say in what went on in your government! My people weren't happy!  _That's_  why I needed my freedom!" Alfred countered defensively.  
  
     "It was too hard for you to have a representative in the government! You were too far away! None of my other colonies had representatives! All the rules and the taxes I gave you, I needed them, okay!? I was trying to become stronger so that I could make life better for you! I thought you would want that; that you would understand!" Arthur shouted.   
  
    "Are you kidding me!? Before you went strict on me, I thought you were the greatest person in the entire world! You were my inspiration; my hero! I thought you were amazing! All I ever wanted to do was be just like you. I wanted to grow up and be a strong and powerful nation like you were! I wanted to make you proud! B-but then, a-all of a sudden everything just... F-fell apart. I felt like you didn't care about me anymore. I thought you didn't love me. I couldn't stand it," Alfred admitted. At first, he had been yelling, but gradually, his voice lowered until it was nothing but a murmur.  
  
    "A-America, I-I-" Arthur began, but Alfred cut him off.  
  
    "I still have my uniform from the war. I hang it up in my room every year on my birthday. I lean my old gun against the wall, next to the uniform. Before I fall asleep, I look at them. I see all the blood and dirt on the uniform that I never bothered to wash off. I notice the scratch on my gun. And every time, when I fall asleep, I relive that moment when I thought you were going to kill me. I always wake up drenched in sweat. For days afterwards, I'm always paranoid that something like that is going to happen again at any second. And for days, I'm left thinking, 'Why didn't he kill me when he had the chance? In fact, why did he bother with me in the first place? Was it worth it? He doesn't love me anymore. I guess things would be better if I had lost the revolution; if I didn't exist. At least then he'd be happy,'" he finished.   
  
    By this time, tears had started to well up in his eyes and a few slipped down his face. He wasn't sure what was left to say. It's not like Arthur would argue with him. So what was the use in sticking around?  
  
    Alfred sighed softly before turning his back to Arthur and lifting his foot to take a step forward. However, before he was able to put his foot down again,  Arthur hissed "That's a lie. That's a  _bloody lie_."  
  
    Alfred returned his foot to its original spot and turned to face Arthur again. "What?"  
  
    "That night, when you told me that you weren't my little brother anymore... I can't even  _begin_  to tell you how much it hurt. The worst tortures that you can think of... They would be  _pleasurable_  compared to hearing those words. My heart shattered. It broke into a million tiny pieces and even after all these years, I've never been able to put it back together. You remember what I was like when you were little, don't you? Don't you remember how happy I was? I... I haven't been the same since you left. I've never been truly happy. I shut myself away from everyone because I couldn't bear to let anyone else hurt me the way you did," Arthur croaked out.   
  
    Tears were falling down his cheeks like waterfalls. Alfred could see that it was hard for him to breathe. He looked so hurt. Alfred had only seen that look on his face once before this day. That was the same look he had on the night that Alfred gained his independence. Alfred opened his mouth to say something, but he could find no words to convey his feelings, and so he shut his mouth again.  
  
    "I  _did_  care about you, and I still do. That's why I didn't kill you. That's why I let you go. And for two-hundred and thirty-nine years, I have watched you grow without my help. All the time, I saw you struggling, and I wished so badly that I could help you, but those words kept replaying in my mind! 'I am no longer a child, nor your little brother,' which meant that  _I_  was no longer your  _big brother!_  Even if I thought you needed me, you were independent. So I stayed away. Soon enough, you had become a great nation, and you didn't need anyone anymore. Least of all me," Arthur confessed. His entire body was shaking.  
  
    "A-Arthur, I-I..." Alfred trailed off. His voice was cracking. That had been the first time in longer than he could remember that he had called Arthur by his first name. He knew that if he tried to say anything more, he would start crying.  
  
    Thankfully, Arthur still had more to get off of his chest. "All this time... All these years... I've pretended that I hate you. I've made you believe that you were my least favorite person in the world. I've acted like I didn't care, like you didn't matter, like there was nothing I cared less about than what happened to you. But I've been lying. To you, to myself, to everyone. I miss you, Alfred! I miss when you were young, and I used to make toys for you and you loved my cooking! I miss when I used to teach you how to dance and how to act like a gentleman! I miss when we used to spend time together and play together... I miss when I could still call you my  _family..._  I know I act like I don't, but Alfred, I still love you!" Arthur blurted out.   
  
    The two countries stared at each other in silence. Finally, there was nothing left to say. Arthur had nothing more to confess. Alfred didn't know how to respond without bursting into tears. So he kept his mouth shut. When Arthur couldn't stand the silence anymore, he sighed softly.  
  
    "I hope you have a nice party, America. Happy Birthday." And with that, he turned around, head down, and started walking away.  
  
    "Arthur!" Alfred shouted.   
  
    Before he really knew what he was doing, he started running as fast as he could towards Arthur. Arthur turned around once again to look at Alfred. As soon as Arthur had turned around, Alfred slammed into him, wrapping his arms tightly around Arthur's torso and hugging the older nation like he would never let go. Arthur's eyes widen and he gasped in shock. Alfred buried his face into Arthur's chest and started sobbing.  
  
    "A-Alfred...?" Arthur whispered, looking down at the young American with a worried look on his face. Slowly, he hugged Alfred back, even more tightly.   
  
    "I-I miss you, too, Arthur! Th-that's why I always bother you and annoy you so much! I just wanted to hang out with you like we used to! I-I thought we could still be buddies even after I won my independence... I-I mean, I knew it wasn't gonna be easy, b-but I thought it could still work and...! J-just forget what I said that night, Arthur. It's obviously caused us both pain than I had intended it to. I-I wanna be your little brother again, Arthur! I-I want us to love each other like we used to..." Alfred wailed, gripping the fabric of Arthur's shirt so tightly his knuckles turned white.  
  
    "Oh, Alfred..." Arthur whispered.   
  
    He smiled softly at the younger nation and began crying as hard as Alfred was. He let go of Alfred with one hand and raised it up to stroke Alfred's hair. He kissed Alfred's forehead gently. Alfred whimpered softly.  
  
    "Alfred, there is nothing that I would love more in the world than to be your big brother again."  
  
    After the two nations had calmed each other down, they walked with each other back to Alfred's house. Alfred bounded up the steps of his front porch and threw the front door open. Arthur followed behind him, smiling softly.  
  
    "Hey, Mattie! I'm hooome!" Alfred called out, slamming the door shut after Arthur had entered the room.  
  
    "Alright, just a second!" Matthew called from the kitchen.  In a few minutes, he came into the living room, making sure the kitchen door was shut behind him. When he saw Arthur, his eyes widened and he gasped in delight.  
  
    "Arthur, you came!" he squealed.  
  
    Arthur chuckled softly. "Yes, I know, it's surprising, but Alfred was able to convince me."  
  
    It wasn't long before all the guests that Alfred had invited to his party had arrived. And of course, Alfred's birthday parties were always the best, so it took barely any time at all for the party to get in full swing. Everyone was talking and laughing. Alfred played music through huge speakers and a few people were dancing. Everything was wonderful, but even more so because Arthur was there.  
  
    "Alright, everybody stand back!" Gilbert shouted eagerly.   
  
    Everyone had gathered in Alfred's backyard. Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio were about to set off the fireworks. Each of them had lighters in their hands, and they watched as all the other guests backed far away from the rockets.   
  
    "On the count of three!" Gilbert shouted. " _Eins!_ "  
  
    " _Deux!_ "  
  
    " _Tres!_ "  
  
    The trio worked together and lit each of the fireworks. After they had done so, they ran towards everyone else, smiling broadly and laughing. Everyone watched as the fireworks shot off into the sky and caused sparkly red, white and blue explosions in the black night sky. Shortly after, more fireworks from other people's backyards joined the ones that Gilbert, Francis and Antonio had set off. Everyone cheered, Arthur the loudest of all.  
  
    Alfred looked at Arthur and smiled. "Enjoying yourself, bro?" he asked, laughing softly.  
  
    "Very much," Arthur replied, looking at Alfred with a happier look in his eyes than Alfred had ever seen.   
  
    "You know, I really am very proud of you, Alfred. You've grown so much and become so strong. You're a greater and bigger nation than I am now... And there's no one I would rather call my little brother than you," Arthur admitted.  
  
    "Duuuude, stop! You're gonna make me cry again!" Alfred whined, laughing quietly, though his eyes had started watering again. To hide the tears, he quickly hugged Arthur and buried his face in the Brit's chest once again.  
  
    "But it's true!" Arthur protested, hugging Alfred back and resting his chin on top of Alfred's head.   
  
    "Well, I wouldn't be everything I am today if it wasn't for you. There's no one I would've rather grown up with than you, and no big brother I'd rather have than you," Alfred whispered.  
  
    Arthur kissed the top of Alfred's head, trying to hold back his tears. "Happy birthday, Alfred. I am so proud of you, and I love you. I promise I will never hide it from you again."  
  
    "So it's official? We're gonna start hanging out again like we used to? We're pals?" Alfred asked hopefully, his baby blue eyes gleaming.  
  
    "More than pals, Alfred. From now on, we're brothers. And we always will be."


End file.
